Tempering Chocolate
Robbin Zeff Warner | February 2011 | Version 3.0
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Contents
- What is Tempering
- Characteristics of Property Tempered Chocolate
- Ways to Temper
- Tools and Utensils for Tempering Chocolate
- INSTRUCTIONS: Tempering Chocolate – Microwave and Cocoa Butter Method
- RESOURCES:
- Supplies & Ingredients
- Information on Tempering Chocolate
- Instructions on How to Temper Chocolate
What is Tempering
Tempering is a process of preparing chocolate for use so that the chocolate has the maximum aesthetic and utilitarian qualities. This is achieved by melting the chocolate and then mixing and cooling the chocolate to a specific temperature range. To understand tempering, one needs to understand a bit about the chemistry of chocolate. The ingredients of dark chocolate are cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, sugar and vanilla. Milk chocolate has the same ingredients, but with the addition of milk powder. White chocolate is only cocoa butter, sugar and milk powder, no cocoa liquor is used. Whether dark, milk or white chocolate, cocoa butter is the essential ingredient.
Tempering is the act of pre-crystallizing the cocoa butter in chocolate. When chocolate is heated, the crystals in cocoa butter break apart. There are 6 different forms of crystals in chocolate, but it is the beta crystals that produce the desired aesthetic qualities in chocolate. The beta crystal is also referred to as the stable crystal because its formation results in chocolate being hard, shiny, and with an even coloring. To pre-crystallize chocolate, you melt the chocolate to break apart the cocoa butter crystals. Then you stir and cool the chocolate so that the stable beta crystals are formed. It is at this point when you make your chocolate. (If you want to learn more about the chemistry of chocolate crystals, check out Chocolate Alchemy’s article “Tempering – Deconstruction and Reconstruction & Illustrated Tempering“)
When chocolate cools down too many crystals form and the chocolate starts to over-crystallize. This harden chocolate can be reused by re-tempering it.
Tempering doesn’t impact taste. Chocolate that is not tempered will taste the same as properly tempered chocolate. You temper chocolate to maximize the look and feel of the chocolate.
Characteristics of Properly Tempered Chocolate
When chocolate is properly tempered in will have the following characteristics:
- Shine – Shiny and glossy when hard
- Even coloring – The color and shine will be evenly distributed throughout the chocolate
- Hardness – A crisp hardness that snaps when broken
- Shrinkage – Clean and consistent shrinkage in moulds
If the chocolate is not properly tempered, it will 1) take a long time to harden, 2) have a grayish color, and 3) stick to moulds.
Ways to Temper
There are different methods for tempering chocolate. These methods are defined by either their means for heating or cooling the chocolate. Probably the oldest and most well known method involves heating the chocolate in a bain-marie (double-boiler). A more modern heating method is with a microwave. In terms of cooling, you can temper chocolate on a cool surface, such as a granite or marble table. You can also cool chocolate by seeding, which means adding unmelted chocolate to the already melted chocolate. By adding tempered chocolate (unmelted chocolate) to melted chocolate you accomplish two essential steps in tempering: 1) the chocolate is cooled down because the unmelted chocolate is at room temperature and 2) the tempered chocolate begins the chain reaction necessary to form the proper beta crystals. And finally, one can purchase a tempering machine that heats, cools, and mixes the chocolate and keeps it properly tempered for long periods of time. In the resource area I provide links to instructions on all these methods.
Tools and Utensils for Tempering Chocolate
You probably have all the tools and utensils you need for making chocolate already in your kitchen.
- Microwave oven
- Plastic mixing bowls (microwave safe)
- Plastic spatula
- Metal spoon
- Cooking thermometer (You can use a regular meat or a candy thermometer. Both will work with chocolate. The difference between the two is that a meat thermometer is usually made of metal, has a long narrow spear for inserting into meats, and has a temperature range of between 0° f - 200 ° f (-17.8° c - 176.6° c). A candy thermometer is made of glass, is usually long enough to stand upright in a bowl, and measures temperature between 40°f – 400°f (4.4° c - 204.4° c).)
Tempering Chocolate: Microwave and Cocoa Butter Method
Step-by-Step Instructions
At Rendez-Vous Chocolat in Brussels, Belgium, owner and chocolatier Anca Andreitu has refined using the microwave method of tempering chocolate by adding the additional step of seeding with cocoa butter at the end. This hybrid method is a quick and efficient process that maximizes shine and even coloring and achieves perfect hardness. It also allows for the chocolate to stay tempered a bit longer than with other methods. Below are step-by-step instructions for this method of tempering chocolate.
Step 1 – Place chocolate in a plastic bowl.
| How full: Do not fill the bowl more than 3/4 full. You will need room to mix the chocolate. If you fill the bowl to the top, it will be hard to stir without chocolate spilling out. Type of Bowl: You want to use plastic and not glass because you don’t want the bowl to retain heat. |
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Step 2 – Heat the chocolate on med high (≈ 700 w) for approximately 1 minute.
| The time will vary depending on how much chocolate you are using and the type of chocolate. If you are using less than 500 grams, the initial heating period should be for no more than 30 seconds. Temperature: Because the intensity of the heat can vary from microwave to microwave, we recommend using med-high instead of high to avoid burning the chocolate. Time: This will be the first of many heating sequences in the microwave. You want to do it long enough to get the melting process started, but not so long that you burn the chocolate. As a general rule, it is better to do it for too short a period of time than too long. |
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Step 3 – Take the chocolate out and stir.
| Stir the chocolate after each heating. The chocolate will be hottest in the middle. You want to stir the chocolate to evenly distribute the melted chocolate with the chocolate that is still in a solid form. |  |
Step 4 – Heat the chocolate for 30 seconds and reduce the temperature to medium (≈500 w). Remove and stir. Repeat until chocolate is melted.
| If you melt the chocolate slowly in a microwave, you can melt it at precisely the temperature that chocolate melts without getting the chocolate hotter than it needs to be. The ability to have complete control of the temperature of the chocolate is one of the advantages of using a microwave instead of a Bain Marie (double boiler). |  |
Step 5 – Cooling the chocolate to the proper temperature.
| Once the chocolate is melted you begin the cooling process. For properly tempered chocolate you need to the temperature of the chocolate to be within a specific temperature range. Dark, milk and white chocolate are tempered at different temperatures. The differences in temperatures has to do with the amount of protein in the chocolate. The more milk protein, the lower the temperature to melt and to cool. |  |
| Considerations There are other factors to take into consideration when determining the proper temperature. First, the temperature in the room you are working in can impact how quickly the chocolate cools. And secondly, since different manufacturers have different ratios of ingredients in their chocolate, you need to determine the best temperature for the chocolate you are using. I’ve put together a chart of the recommended temperatures for two popular Belgian chocolates: Becolade and Callebaut. |
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| Chocolate Tempering Temperature Chart
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| Measuring the Temperature To measure the temperature, you use a cooking thermometer. You can purchase a special candy thermometer or a digital thermometer, but you can also use an inexpensive baking thermometer that you would buy at any cooking supply store. The thermometer need not be fancy. |
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The Effect of Ambient Room Temperature on Tempering Process |
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| Importance of Stirring The right temperature on a thermometer does not insure that the chocolate is properly tempered. The chocolate also needs to be stirred. In fact, experienced chocolateries do not rely on a thermometer. They know when it is properly tempered by the look and feel of the chocolate when they are stirring it. Difference between Chocolate Chips and the Chocolate used for Making Chocolates |
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Step 6 – Adding Tempered Coco-Butter
| To prepare the cocoa butter, take a few spoonfuls of cocoa butter chips and melt them in a small plastic bowl in the microwave (3 minutes on medium-high). When the cocoa butter is melted, let it sit and cool for 5-10 minutes. Then add a few solid cocoa butter chips and stir. If the added cocoa butter chips melt right away, you need to let the cocoa butter cool for a few more minutes. The cocoa butter is ready to use when the added chips do not melt.
When your chocolate has cooled to the proper temperature, you are ready to begin adding the prepared coco-butter. Add about a tablespoon of the cocoa butter liquid (making sure not to pour in the cocoa butter that did not melt). What you are doing is adding the right beta crystals to insure that the crystallization chain reaction occurs properly in your chocolate. |
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Step 7 – Testing to make sure chocolate it is Properly Tempered
| You can test to make sure your chocolate is properly tempered and ready to use by dipping a spoon into the chocolate and then letting the spoon sit for 3-5 minutes. If the chocolate is properly tempered, the chocolate on the spoon will be hard and glossy. If the chocolate is not tempered, the chocolate will still be liquid and/or will have a marble-like color indicating the fat and cocoa butter are still separated. |  |
| When the chocolate starts to get Thick (Over-crystallization)When the chocolate cools too much, it will become thick. This means that the chocolate has started to over-crystallize. To get it back to a nice liquid form, you just need to re-temper. To temper again, put the chocolate back in the microwave for 30 seconds, remove and stir. Check to make sure the chocolate doesn’t get too hot. Cool to the proper temperature and then add a spoonful of cocoa butter to make sure the crystallization chain reaction occurs. Now you are ready to continue using the chocolate. You can continue to temper chocolate as many times as necessary. |  |
RESOURCES:
Supplied and Ingredients
Chocolate Making Supplies
Chocolate World
Lange Elzenstraat 18, 2018 Antwerpen, Belgium
32/03.216.44.27
www.chocolateworld.be
A warehouse of chocolate making supplies with hundreds of moulds available for sale. They have everything for the serious chocolate maker. It is worthwhile visiting the store when you’re in Antwerp just to see their phenomenal selection of chocolate moulds. They also sell used chocolate moulds at a reduced price.
Ingredients
Chocolate
You can buy small bars of chocolate appropriate for tempering at most grocery stores in Brussels. However, if you would like to purchase quantities of 1 kilo or more, here is a list of where you can go.
1) Makro and Colruyt regularly carry 2.5 kilo bags of Callebaut chocolate: For a listing of all Makro locations in Brussels go to www.makro.be and for a listing of all Colruyt location in Brussels go to www.colruty.be.
2) If you want to buy a smaller amount (1 kilo or less), you can buy Belcolade chocolate in any quantity you want from Rendez-Vous Chocolat (Avenue Hansen-Soulie 84, 1040 Brussels, Belgium | 02/735.82.00)
Cocoa Butter
I have not found a regular grocery store in Brussels that sells cocao butter. One can purchase it in large quantities from wholesalers, but you need a wholesale VAT number to do this. For home chocolate making purposes, you only need a small quantity. You can purchase 100 gram bags of cocao butter from Rendez-Vous Chocolat (Avenue Hansen-Soulie 84, 1040 Brussels, Belgium | 02/735.82.00).
Information on Tempering Chocolate
Tempering – Deconstruction and Reconstruction & Illustrated Tempering
By: Chocolate Alchemy
URL: http://chocolatealchemy.com/illustrated-tempering/
Written by a chemist who also has a passion for chocolate, this article provides an organic chemistry 101 look at the what, why and how the crystals in chocolate are formed and what happens in the tempering process that results in chocolate having mostly the desired stable crystals that produces the desired professional shiney chocolate that hardens quickly and shrinks well in moulds.
Instructions on Tempering Chocolate
Tempering Chocolate
By: Callebaut
URL: http://www.callebaut.com/usen/333
Step-by-step instructions with accompanying videos on different methods of tempering chocolate. You need to register with the site in order to view the videos; however the registration process doesn’t always work.
- Tempering with Mycroyo (Mycryo is 100% pure cocoa butter in powder form) http://www.callebaut.com/usen/2056
- Mechanical tempering (using a tempering machine) http://www.callebaut.com/usen/2077
- Tempering on a cold (marble) work surface http://www.callebaut.com/usen/2054 ,
- Tempering with callets (also called seeding) http://www.callebaut.com/usen/2055, and
- Tempering with a microwave. http://www.callebaut.com/usen/2053
Chocolate Tempering: How To Temper Chocolate
By: David Lebovitz’s blog “Living the Sweet Life in Paris.”
URL: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2005/08/tempering-choco/
One of the best write-ups on why tempering chocolate is necessary and what happens when chocolate is not properly tempered. It does include instructions for tempering using a double boiler and the seeding method.
About Tempering
By: Steve Leffer, Chocoholic & Chief Taster
URL: http://www.chocoley.com/abouttempering.htm
This article provides a nice simple explanation of the crystallization process as well as providing instructions for two tempering methods: 1) What he calls the “Classic Method using a Tempering Stone” (cooling the chocolate on a marble or granite table) and the Seeding method (adding 1/3 of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate). .
Tempering Chocolate at Home
By: Chocolate Alchemy
URL: http://chocolatealchemy.com/illustrated-tempering/
Step-by step guide to tempering chocolate with photographs of each step. One of the highlights of this guide is the opening section that features three photos compairing untempered chocolate, chocolate that has bloomed, and tempered chocolate. In this guide, the chocolate is melted using a double boiler. Pouring the chocolate onto a granite surface cools the chocolate.
Tempering Milk Chocolate in a Microwave
By: CocoDelirious URL: http://www.cocodilirious.com
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A29la3da8c
Length: 7:56
Demonstrates tempering 1 pound of milk chocolate in a microwave using Fahrenheit temperatures.
Up to Your Elbows in Chocolate: Lesson-Tempering Chocolate and Why
By: cocomap.com
URL: http://chocomap.com/chocolate-making-tempering.php
A good written explanation of why one needs to temper chocolate and a step-by-step explanation of the process of tempering chocolate in a microwave oven.
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Themocracy
Robbin,
This is a great article. The photos really help explain the process. Makes me want to eat some chocolate. Thanks so much for sharing all this information with us.